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I've read that Monitor Audio speakers are not necessarily the best match for Cyrus kit as the combination is too bright? I am thinking about getting the Cyrus 8vs2 and CD8 and MA RS6 speakers and would appreciate any feedback. Is this really a big problem or just a matter of taste? Thanks Mike.

I'm not sure on this one mate but I ordered a Cambridge Audio Azur 740C at the weekend after much mulling over and research. Several reasons for this - the first being cost - Cyrus players are way overpriced here in Australia. Secondly due to concerns over exactly the dilemma you face. I read a lot and definitely came away with the opinion that although Cyrus are I'm sure awesome players, they may be too harsh or bright for MA speakers. I have RS6's too and listened to the 740C on a pair of RS6's and it was great, hence my final choice. I suppose the only definitive answer is to try find a dealer who has Cyrus players and RS6's and try them, it may be your cup of tea, who knows? If not, I'd definitely recommend giving the Cambridge players an audition. Here's some of the discussions I had while mulling over my decision if it helps.

I have Cyrus 8 Amplifier and Monitor Audio GS10 Speakers on Partington Super Dreadnought Stands and I really like the sound with whatever source I use.

When I first got the system it was a little bright for me, so I kept the speaker grills on to dampen it a bit, however, I was only using a pair of silver anniversary QED speaker cables. It all changed when I decided to bi-wire the speakers with some old copper cable I had hanging around.

I messed around quite a bit until I got the sound I wanted. The best combination was using the Silver Anniversary cable to drive the woofers and the copper cable to drive the tweeters. Maybe the copper cable is losing some of the high frequencies, I dunno, but the sound is enchanting, no longer is it piercing, its clear and precise, I really was astounded at the difference.

So, in short, I would say, if you get high quality seperates, as Cyrus and Monitor Audio clearly are, you can mess around with the interconnects and speaker cables until you get the precise balance which suits your room and your ear.

DAMIEN,
Thanks very much for your response. That sounds like a great amp and I'm pleased it worked out for you. However I think I might stick with the Cyrus and think about the speakers if the combination really is that bad. I actually had a quick listen to the Primare CD21/ I21 and then the Cyrus through some JM Focals and the Cyrus seemed more precise with great definition and clarity. As you rightly say I need to audition with RS6's. Cheers again.

GRAHAM,
Thanks also very much for you post. Your solution is very interesting, what copper cable did you use for biwiring the tweeters? Would you think that the GS10's being standmounts may be less warm than the RS6's? What interconnects do you use and do you know if Cyrus interconnects are better suited than other makes; I guess they would be!? Are you using the 8X CD? Thanks for your help. PS: I have read previous posts regarding this combination dilemma but I don't think I have seen any suggested alternatives at the same price as the RS6's.

Damien, I am using Chord Crimson interconnects at the moment, although I haven't really experimented with this much, will get around to it one day

I must say, before I bought the GS10's, I did have a listen to the RS6's with Rotel amp & CD and I didn't really like the sound much.I expected it to be a warm sond, but it wasn't very tight. In fact, in general, I have found that stand mount speakers seem to be less sluggish. Indeed I would actually prefer to have floorstanders as I think they would look better in my home as they are a piece of furniture, however, I wasn't prepared for the trade-off in sound which I discovered. Of course, lots of people love the RS6's so this might just be a personal thing.

I must say, I dunno what the copper cable is that I used to Bi-wire the tweeters, it was some heavy copper cable I had had around for some time as it used to power my old tannoy speakers with Denon amp and Marantz CD50 set up from back in the 80's! - So sorry, I can't be of any help there, but I would suspect that any heavy copper cables would do a similar job. The cable has a lot of strands (over 50) and a clear insulation.

As far as warmth is concerned, I guess the standmounts are in general slightly less warm, however, a good pair of stands can certainly add warmth and things such as speaker positioning and room furnishings can do a lot to increase this, so I wouldn't worry about this. In actual fact the GS10's sounded a bit harsh in the shop, but when I got them home and set them up properly with the cable change mentioned, it was an entirely different story.